Fayed set to appeal Diana verdict because 'jury did not hear all evidence'

Diana: Her sons said they backed the verdict that their mother was unlawfully killed

Mohamed Al Fayed has vowed to continue his legal fight over the deaths of Princess Diana and his son Dodi Fayed, despite the inquest's ruling.

The inquest - which lasted six months, heard 250 witnesses and cost taxpayers an estimated £12million - concluded that Princess Diana and Dodi were "unlawfully killed" as a direct result of chauffeur Henri Paul's "grossly negligent" driving and the actions of photographers hounding their car.

Yet even as the verdicts were handed down, there were serious doubts about whether they would be enough to close the case.

Al Fayed, who had insisted during his evidence to the inquest that he would accept the jury's decision, instead stuck to his claims that the couple were murdered.

His lawyer said the jury had not heard all the available evidence.

Al Fayed's spokesman Michael Cole told GMTV today: "When he made that declaration, it was on the assumption that the jury would be allowed to hear everything. They weren't."

Mr Cole said the jury had not been allowed to consider a verdict of murder and had not heard evidence from either the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.

Mr Al Fayed's decision comes despite Princes William and Harry saying they hoped an inquest jury's ruling on their mother's death would be an "end to it all".

After the verdict that a drunken driver and a pack of paparazzi were responsible for the Paris crash more than ten years ago, royal sources said the princes hoped hurtful speculation would now stop.

"They just want an end to it all," said one.

"They wholly agree that the accident was the result of drink-driving and excessive speed. As for the paparazzi, they have made their feelings about them very clear in the past."

Legal sources said there is little likelihood of any criminal cases arising from the death one of the most iconic women of the 20th century.

Henri Paul is dead and both British and French prosecutors ruled out the possibility of further charges against the photographers.

Even Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, is likely to escape perjury charges, despite being branded a liar by the coroner.

William and Harry gave their formal reactions in a joint statement thanking the jury for the "thorough" way in which they considered the evidence.

They said: "We agree with their verdicts, and are both hugely grateful to each and every one of them for the forbearance they have shown in accepting such significant disruption to their lives over the past six months.

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The Princes hope the inquest will end the speculation about their mother's death, but Mohamed Al Fayed stuck to his claims that Diana and Dodi were murdered

Katharine Witty reads a statement from Mohamed Al Fayed with Michael Cole outside the High Court

"Both of us are much indebted to the Coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, for his unfailing courtesy, and for all the consideration shown by him and his staff not only to us but to all those involved in this hearing.

"We are particularly grateful to Trevor Rees, and to others who came forward to give evidence - in many cases reawakening their painful and personal memories.

"Finally, the two of us would like to express our most profound gratitude to all those who fought so desperately to save our mother's life on that tragic night."

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William, who is currently on attachment with the RAF in Lincolnshire, and Harry, who is staying at Clarence House, spoke at length on the phone to discuss the statement.

They also checked with Diana's family - in particular her sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

The London inquest had seen more twists and turns than a best- selling crime novel.

It also saw Diana's memory dragged through the gutter, with open discussion about some of the most intimate areas of her life. It was even claimed that her own mother called her a whore.

Among the star witnesses was the former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, He was forced to admit for the first time that the security services did have a licence to kill but insisted they never used it.

In the end, it took the jury 23 hours and 45 minutes - spread over four days - to return verdicts of unlawful killing by a majority of nine to two.

They rejected the options of accidental or open verdicts, although they also found that Diana and Dodi might have lived if they had been wearing seatbelts.

Specifically, they pinned the blame on one of Mr Al Fayed's employees - Henri Paul - and the photographers following him in the early hours of August 31

Like the French and British police, the jury of six men and five women concluded Mr Paul had been drinking and was going too fast in a bid to outmanoeuvre the photographers.

Experts said he was more than twice the British drink-drive limit - after consuming up to eight glasses of Ricard in the hours before the accident - when he smashed into the 13th pillar of the Alma Tunnel.

The jury dismissed Mr Fayed's claims that the driver's blood samples were tampered with as part of a conspiracy.

But as he left the courtroom he insisted: "The most important thing is it's murder."

The Harrods owner has long claimed MI6 staged the crash on the orders of the Duke of Edinburgh because Diana was pregnant by his son - a Muslim.

Lord Justice Scott Baker said last week there was 'not a shred of evidence' to support the allegation.

Last night a number of Diana's closest friends urged Mr Fayed to get on with his life.

Rosa Monckton said: "Overall, I feel very sorry for him. One must never forget that he lost a son. I just hope now that he will find some sort of peace.

"It's been incredibly intrusive and I think there's a lot of Diana's life that has come into the public eye that should never have been there. That's been a very unfortunate side-effect of this inquest."

Mr Fayed's former bodyguard, Kes Wingfield, told ITV that he felt the tycoon was intent on pursuing his conspiracy theories because he knew in his heart that he bore some responsibility for the crash.

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Family and friend: Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Rosa Monkton made no comment as they left

He said: "I think ultimately he will look at himself in the mirror and know that the role he played was quite a major one."

Mr Wingfield said he frequently raised concerns that the couple did not have enough protection but was overruled by Mr Fayed.

"If we had been given the manpower we wanted we wouldn't be having this conversation,' he said.

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, who led the threeanda-half-year Operation Paget inquiry into the tragedy, also expressed his hope that the jury's 'clear' verdict would be accepted by everyone.

Speaking on the steps of the High Court, he said: "The jury have said they are absolutely sure there is no conspiracy in relation to this. I hope everybody will take this as being closure to this tragic incident and the people who have died will be allowed to rest in peace."

That fateful summer in 1997...Diana with lover Dodi Fayed

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Fayed set to appeal Diana verdict because 'jury did not hear all evidence'